Wacken Open Air, Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park and Bang Your Head Festivals All Canceled
Surprising no one but the most optimistic and willfully ignorant, four of the biggest, longest-running rock festivals scheduled to take place in Germany this summer have been canceled amidst the coronavirus pandemic: Wacken Open Air, Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park and Bang Your Head.
The official cancelations came as Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, yesterday announced a plan to begin gradually reopening the country’s economy starting next week. Even in spite of the ambitious timeline she laid out, large-scale public gatherings like concerts and sporting events will remain banned through at least August 31, rendering the festivals not just unlikely and dangerous for public health but illegal.
Wacken Open Air announced this morning that they would need to cancel the 2020 iteration of the festival, which would have been its 31st year, as a result of the ban, as did the other three festivals. It’s likely that they all would have been canceled eventually anyway even if the official ban had not been implemented at this early juncture.
Each of the four festivals is at a slightly different place with regards to rescheduling to 2021 and what 2020 ticketholders can expect, but it seems likely that 2020 tickets will simply transfer to next year. Stay tuned for more info.
Here’s Wacken’s announcement:
“Dear Metalheads,
“yesterday, the German government decided that due to the Coronavirus pandemic, no mass gatherings will be allowed until August, 31st 2020. We are facing an unprecented situation in our 30 years: It is with heavy hearts that we have to announce that there will be no Wacken Open Air this year.
“Our whole team has been working intensively on the festival these last months and the more all of us are bitterly disappointed that we are not allowed to celebrate a Wacken Open Air with you. This administrative order affects us heavily and we will need some time to process the bad news.
“Nevertheless, we support the decision of the German government in this difficult situation for the whole world. Your health and safety have always been and always will be our top priority. We as promoters are therefore bound to take an even greater responsibility and have to follow the instructions of the experts.
“Concerning Wacken Open Air 2021 and options for your already bought tickets we will reach out to you asap but ask for a little bit of patience whilst we work through this. We thank you for your trust during times which are unparalleled for all of us.
Stay healthy – In Metal We Trust!“Your W:O:A Team”
